Review: ‘The Stunt Driver’
Jay Baruchel Soars And Sticks The Landing As Canadian Daredevil Ken Carter

By
Travis Hopson
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What would you do to make sure people remember you? Would you do something dangerous? Put your life on the line? Canadian daredevil Ken Carter would. We in the United States have Evel Knievel, but Carter is known as the “Mad Canadian” for a reason. Jay Baruchel gives one of the best performances of his career in The Stunt Driver, a heartfelt and funny underdog story based on Robert Fortier’s acclaimed doc, The Devil at Your Heels.

Baruchel, sporting a thick goatee and a pair of goofy crossed eyes, doesn’t strike you as some wild man. But that’s the thing about these stuntmen like Knievel and Carter, is how normal they appear. Carter is a dreamer who aspires to jump a rocket-powered Lincoln Continental one mile over the St. Lawrence River. It’s a seemingly impossible task, but Carter is less concerned about chasing history than he is chasing respect and recognition.

Writer/director Michael Dowse, who worked with Baruchel previously on another Canadian comedy favorite, Goon, focuses on Carter’s obsession with legacy and how it can not only be personally dangerous, but also manipulated by others. After years of costly delays, Carter’s shady promoter Bill Wilkins (played by Dan Bakkedahl), threatens to take it all away from Carter unless he does the jump whether conditions are safe or not. Carter, feeling the pressure to be better than Knievel, is driven by this need for everyone to be his friend, and to be remembered. “When I fly, everyone is my friend”, he says.

Those who know Carter’s story will understand that it has to take a darker turn, however, The Stunt Driver is full of heartfelt moments with the people who brought joy to his life. Ed Helms has a fantastic role as Dick Keller, a literal rocket scientist who reluctantly agrees to help design the car and make sure the jump is safe. He has no problem being blunt in his assessment that this stunt is absurd and stupidly dangerous, reiterating frequently that he’s not there to make sure it’s successful. The only thing he cares about is making sure Carter survives.

We also get a solid performance from Laurence Leboeuf as Carter’s supportive wife, Gloria, who, more than anyone else, carries the fear that each jump might be his last. Ben Foster is good as Knievel, a rival who Carter initially resents but has to learn to work with.

The Stunt Driver is frequently torn between celebrating its subject in a serious way, and telling the goofy comedy it also wants to be. The film is constantly fighting to portray Carter as the Canadian hero that he was to so many, as if fighting the same fight for respect that he did all of his life. The Stunt Driver is a lot like Carter; it has a big heart, big aspirations, and doesn’t always stick the landing. Carter was someone who refused to keep his feet on the ground, and it’s hard not to champion someone who saw the sky as the limit.

The Stunt Driver opens on September 25th from Independent Film Company.

NOTE: This review was originally part of my TIFF 2026 coverage.

Next ‘Saw’ Movie Lands ‘Beware Boiúna’ Director Mike P. Nelson; James Wan And Leigh Whannell To Produce

September 24, 2026

Once the strongest horror franchise around, Saw has been pretty quiet for a while, with 2023’s Saw X the most recent film. It was a surprising $125M hit, with a sequel quickly announced, and Kevin Greuter returning as director. Delays caused by producer disagreements followed, which led to a major change when Blumhouse took control. Now we know what the plan is going forward, and it begins a new director at the helm.

Mike P. Nelson, the filmmaker behind Wrong Turn, Silent Night, Deadly Night, and the giant snake thriller Beware Boiúna, will direct the next Saw movie. This will be the first movie under the new company of Blumhouse Atomic Monster, led by producers Jason Blum and Saw co-creator James Wan. Lionsgate remains on board, as well.

Wan will be joined by co-creator Leigh Whannell, who left the franchise after Saw III. Together, he and Wan were a powerful force in horror, with the Insidious movies also under their belt. Whannell recently worked with Blumhouse on Wolf Man just last year.

Gregory Weidman and Geoff Tock (In the Shadow of the Moon) wrote the screenplay, and with a plan to recapture what made the original movies work, you can bet Jigsaw will return.

Wan said: “Making the original Saw was a defining experience for me, so it was essential to find a director who would honor that world. Mike has a raw, distinctive filmmaking voice with an inventive approach to the genre, and I believe he’ll bring something truly unique and special to the franchise.”

Nelson added: “Being asked to play in this twisted sandbox with James is nothing short of a dream come true. Greg and Geoff and James have crafted such a wild script that brings the mystery of the original while exploring new insane bloody ideas that meld so well with the brutal moral compass of the franchise. Let the games begin!”

did you miss me? https://t.co/c6tpQwanFF

— SAW (@Saw) September 24, 2026

‘Musk’ Trailer: Alex Gibney Chronicles The World’s Richest Man As He Becomes A Global Pariah

Travis Hopson

September 24, 2026

Is there anyone who turned so quickly from a beloved nerd hero into a notorious supervillain hated around the world? Surely, nobody did it faster than Elon Musk, who has used his immense wealth to destroy the lives of the poorest people. Now, famed documentarian Alex Gibney examines the truth and the mythology surrounding him with Musk, and following the world premiere in Venice and recent screenings at TIFF, the full trailer has been released.

Interestingly, the Tesla, X, and SpaceX apartheid bro wanted no part of the film, which he branded a hit piece without having seen any of it. Musk will instead feature interviews with his ex-wife, Justine Musk; his former partner, Ashley St. Clair; tech journalist Kara Swisher; Tesla co-founder Martin Eberhard; journalist Zoë Schiffer; and Nobel Prize-winning computer scientist Geoffrey Hinton.

Musk will take a look at the full scope of the man, his weird public persona, influence, and political endeavors. He was instrumental to Trump worming his way back into the White House, with many suggesting Musk used his wealth and tech expertise to corrupt the election. I agree with that assertion.

Musk clocks in at a whopping 235 minutes, so pack a lunch. Bleecker Street will then release it in select theaters on October 9th, nationwide on October 16th.

‘Day Drinker’ Trailer: Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, And Madelyn Cline Lead Marc Webb’s Supernatural Revenge Thriller

Travis Hopson

September 24, 2026

There have been a lot of positive reactions to Johnny Depp’s Christmas horror, Ebenezer, which arrives next month. Early reports haven’t been as glowing for Day Drinker, the supernatural revenge film that marks Depp’s first major studio effort in years. Directed by Marc Webb, it reunites Depp with Penelope Cruz and co-stars Madelyn Cline.

Cline plays a bartender on a private yacht, who gets mixed up with a mysterious stranger played by Depp. Cruz plays a dangerous underworld figure entangled with the duo, who have no idea how deep her connections run.

The screenplay is by The Tomorrow War writer Zach Dean. Day Drinker is Webb’s attempted rebound after the disastrous live-action Snow White. We are a long way from the promise Webb held after (500) Days of Summer and the Amazing Spider-Man movies.

This is Depp’s fourth movie with Cruz, following Blow, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, and Murder on the Orient Express. Cline is best known for the I Know What You Did Last Summer reboot and Netflix’s Outer Banks series.

Lionsgate will release Day Drinker in theaters on March 26th 2027.

‘Clayface’ Final Trailer: DC Studios Takes A Stab At Body Horror Just In Time For Halloween

Travis Hopson

September 24, 2026

There was a ton of buzz for Supergirl, the most recent film in James Gunn’s DCU, but it turned out to be all bad. So what does it mean that Clayface, an attempt to meld superheroes and body horror, has no buzz at all? A film centered on one of Batman’s less recognizable foes was always going to be a gamble, and we’ll see if it pays off for DC Studios next month. But first, the final trailer has arrived.

Directed by James Watkins, Clayface stars Tom Rhys Harries as the Matt Hagan version of the character. The film bears almost no resemblance to a superhero movie, which is exactly as it should be. Instead, the film resembles a classic Cronenberg-esque tale of tragedy and transformation.

Also in the cast is Naomi Ackie as Dr. Caitlin Corr, the fringe scientist who performs the procedure on Matt. Max Minghella plays Gotham City police detective John Pearlman. Also in the cast are Eddie Marsan, David Dencik, and Nancy Carroll.

The script is by horror maestro Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini. This version of Clayface has already been seen in the DCU, as well, appearing in James Gunn’s animated Creature Commandos series.

Clayface opens in theaters on October 23rd, just in time for Halloween. I still think it looks pretty good, and the big swing that Gunn needed to take.

‘Madden’ Trailer: Nicolas Cage And Christian Bale Ham It Up In David O. Russell’s Sports Drama

Travis Hopson

September 24, 2026

John Madden was a natural ham, and a big, boisterous personality that made him a natural fit for both the Oakland Raiders and the NFL commentary booth. It also means that whoever plays him in a movie should be great at hamming it up, as well. Call in Nicolas Cage, who is clearly going all out, wearing a fat suit no less, in David O. Russell’s Madden, which hits Prime Video in November.

The film centers on Madden’s exit from the NFL as a head coach, and his subsequent partnership with EA to become the face and voice of the iconic John Madden Football video game franchise. We also see the intense rivalry that developed between him and controversial Raiders owner, Al Davis, played by Christian Bale.

You have to hand it to Bale, the guy sticks with the people he loves to work with. Madden marks his fourth movie with Russell following The Fighter, American Hustle, and Amsterdam.

Also in the cast are Sienna Miller, John Mulaney, Kathryn Hahn, Joel Murray, and ex-Raiders linebacker Miles Burris.

I’ll be honest, this doesn’t look great. The fat suit is ridiculous, and Bale’s performance looks wildly overdone. That said, it’s all going to depend on the film’s tone, and if Russell gives it more of a satirical edge, it might just work out. My fingers are crossed because not only do I like every actor involved, but I have always had a fondness for both the Raiders and John Madden.

Madden will open in select theaters on November 11th, followed by Prime Video on November 18th.

Review: ‘Heart Of The Beast’
Brad Pitt Is Overshadowed By His Loyal Canine Co-Star In David Ayer's Moving Survival Thriller

By
Travis Hopson
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When we hear “Man’s Best Friend”, we immediately think of the loyalty that canines have to their human owners, and for good reason. That devotion is a two-way-street in David Ayer’s extraordinarily moving survival drama Heart of the Beast, a film in which two PTSD-afflicted soldiers put everything on the line for one another. The film is a reunion between Ayer and Brad Pitt, who worked together on the WWII tank thriller, Fury, another bromance of the battlefield. Ayer, a Naval veteran whose films often celebrate the male military experience, has grown by leaps and bounds behind the camera. He’s still telling masculine stories about battle-hardened men (even his The Beekeeper fits this mold), but with an eye towards sentimentality that will tug at even the tightest of heartstrings.

Pitt stars as as retired Special Forces officer James Belmont; a grizzled vet with the battle scars, physical and emotional, to prove it. Along with his best friend and combat dog, Odin, he spends his time exploring the harsh Alaskan wilderness. The echoes of deadly battles past reverberate in their cramped tent, and they aren’t reserved for Belmont alone. Odin, too, suffers night terrors, snuggling up closer to his master during the worst of them. It’s clear that Belmont hopes to spend the rest of his days off the grid, which is why the arrival of a mysterious stranger, played by JK Simmons in a wonderful little role that’s like he just wandered in from Call of the Wild, is off-putting initially.

Belmont will come to wish there were more neighbors around soon, though. While flying his plane to get away from an incoming storm, a sudden heart attack forces a crash landing into the dense Alaskan wilds. Belmont and Odin both survive, barely, and must trek dozens of miles in the harsh, unforgiving terrain for any hope of resue. The journey is unbelievably unforgiving in ways that virtually every survival thriller tends to be. Treacherous terrain, wild animal attacks, sudden weather, flash floods, and the ever-present threat of Belmont’s weak ticker giving out on him at any moment.

Odin and Belmont aren’t just inseparable during this trial, they are like mirror images of one another. Deep, soulful eyes search the beautiful and deadly natural landscape (DP Mauro Fiore providing the breathtaking visuals), their mounting wounds a constant reminder of the pain they’ve already survived and will fight to survive again. Odin, who has one prosthetic leg and a mouthful of titanium teeth gained from his time in service, is a true co-star alongside Pitt and not just along for the ride. Occasionally, Ayer shocks us further by showing things from Odin’s perspective, reminding of the recent canine horror film, Good Boy. It’s not just Belmont’s resourcefulness that’s pushed to the limit, but Odin’s intense combat training, as well. That he’s always just as prepared for any chaotic situation is a nod to the good work being done by service animals today.

Ayer has come a long way from his cop and crime thrillers such as Harsh Times, Street Kings, and End of Watch. I’m not sure the Ayer of that period could make a movie like Heart of the Beast, which is both sprawling and intimate. He and Pitt have found a chemistry working together that has worked out well for them both. This is another career highlight for Pitt, even as it asks him to play second-fiddle to a canine who is sure to get most of the attention from audiences. It calls for a physicality that Pitt, at the age of 62 (!!!) can still embody and that Ayer clearly cherishes the chance to shoot.

It’s easy to make a movie about the companionship between man and dog. In fact, it’s so easy that making one which is truly meaningful and memorable is the real challenge. Heart of the Beast is one of the best movies about that special bond than we’ve seen in a long time. While very pro-military and overflowing with machismo, it’s also undeniably sweet and gratifying, especially for those who consider themselves dog lovers. A bittersweet but satisfying conclusion gets trampled somewhat by on-screen information about veteran service dogs, their achievements, and the need to give them good homes. While that message is one that is worth spreading far and wide, the exemplary example set by Odin throughout Heart of the Beast is the best messenger one could ask for.

Heart of the Beast opens September 25th.

Review: ‘Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother’
Mahershala Ali Puts His 'Blade' Skills To Work In Bassam Tariq's Powerhouse Religious Action Flick

By
Travis Hopson
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Marvel fans who, like me, desperately wanted to see Mahershala Ali as the vampire hunter, Blade, will want to check out Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother because it gives you a taste of what might have been. An action flick that finally gives Ali and one-time Blade director Bassam Tariq a chance to finally strut their stuff. While it has considerably more on its mind than just butt-kicking, such as questions of faith and duty, it feels damn good to see Ali out there in all-black, wielding a blade and fighting for something he believes in.

Ali stars as Latif, a devout Muslim living in Houston with his wife and three children, including a newborn daughter. Latif, a quietly forceful man, is also a hitman. We meet him as he’s engaged in a bloody bathroom brawl that ends sloppily. But it ends that way for a reason; Latif gets a call that his wife and the kids’ mother has suddenly died. This turns his world upside down, as he’s now the sole caretaker and provider. Worse, he is running out of his wife’s breast milk, and the baby won’t take formula. What begins is a furious dash around the city to find more milk, and to be a good father at a time when his children need him home more than ever.

Complicating matters are Latif’s religious duties, which he begins to disregard as his faith is shaken. Even worse, his former boss is looking for payback and needs Latif to rescue his nephew, a Hallal pornographer (seriously, it’s funny), from the hit list of a gun-toting cult leader, Kwan, played by a scene-chewing John Cho in a performance that’ll make you forget about Harold & Kumar. Kwan has gathered his own following by preaching about his own righteous cause, forcing Latif to question the strength of his convictions.

The sight of Ali, carrying a satchel of breast milk in one hand, and a weapon in the other, is pretty awesome. This is probably about as close as we’re going to get to seeing Ali as Blade, so fans should soak it up. There aren’t as many fight scenes as there could be, but it’s definitely more than some might expect. What we do get is pretty incredible, with Ali a powerful force, quick and deadly, and on a couple of occasions showing the remarkable agility that made Wesley Snipes so convincing. He’s also got the dark sense of

More than his physicality, Ali impresses in the more dramatic moments, as Latif struggles with the violent acts he commits every day, flying in the face of the teachings he wants to instill in his kids. The performance reminded me of Forest Whitaker in Ghost Dog: The way of the Samurai, a film that also grappled with faith and personal codes of honor. Latif is challenged at every turn by his eldest daughter who has been forced to grow up before her time; by his friend and sheikh, played by Giancarlo Esposito, who warns him about bringing danger into the community; and also by his brother, played by Tramell Tillman, a successful doctor who has left the Muslim teachings behind to start a new life.

Incredibly, Tariq based Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother on a personal experience from years ago, where he, too, was a new father left scrambling to find his baby some breast milk when his wife became ill. As far as I can tell, Tariq didn’t do it armed with a machine gun and sword. However, the urgency that’s written into those early scenes, the desperation driving Latif, comes from a place that few will ever understand.

Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother, a title that becomes clearer along the way (but should still probably be shortened), delivers impactful action in an immersive world that this genre rarely explores. Latif is constantly running in and out of mosques, stopping to pray, hitting up a brothel, picking up the kids from school, and so much more. You’re constantly wondering where he might have to go next, what new enemy he must face, what new challenge he must endure as a parent, figuring it out as he goes along.

We might not ever get to see Ali and Tariq on a Blade movie together, and that sucks, but they’re making a statement with Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother that it’s our loss. While I could’ve used fewer lulls between the most violent sequences, it blends religion and action in a powerful, entertaining package that will hopefully be the first of many movies from this duo.

Amazon MGM releases Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother in select theaters on September 25th, expanding nationwide in October.

NOTE: This review was originally part of my TIFF 2026 coverage.

Review: ‘Forgotten Island’
Dreamworks' Joyfully Frantic Ode To Friendship And Filipino Culture Is Impossible To Forget

By
Travis Hopson
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There’s so much happening in Dreamworks Animation’s wildly inventive, frenetic ode to Filipino culture and female friendship, Forgotten Island, that it could get exhausting. But that’s okay, because there’s so much more to love that you’ll get over it pretty quick. The latest film from Puss in Boots: The Last Wish duo Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado, has the potential to be Dreamworks’ next great animated franchise, or a truly spectacular standalone worth revisiting time and again.

The friendship between Jo (voiced by singer H.E.R and Kailey Crawford) and Raissa (voiced by Kayla Teruel and Liza Soberano) is at the heart of this story set in the Philippines of the 1990s. Jo is a wild child, abandoned by her father living in the United States, and now a troublemaker accustomed to bouncing from school to school. Her head is full of vivid, graphic Filipino folktales that she uses to terrify the kids at show and tell…even as they also make her an outcast. Raissa is an introvert, harboring dreams of becoming a scientist. When they meet outside of the principal’s office, they are accustomed to being alone. It only makes sense that they become best friends, and that they do, bonding over the years with the support of Jo’s grandmother, Lola (Dolly de Leon), who fills their heads with crazy stories of the magical fantasy land known as Nakali.

It’s so easy to adore the bond that Jo and Raissa share over the years. The film being set in the ’90s, it’s packed with tons of hip-hop from the era, which they frequently get down to. They mark every valuable moment with trinkets added to their matching charm bracelets. Pretty soon, the bracelets are bulky on their wrists, signifying their closeness but also the full lives they’ve led together. But years later, with Lola gone and graduation on the horizon, their friendship is finally tested when Raissa decides to fly away to college. While grieving the loss of Lola, Jo is still content to live a carefree life working at fast food joints. On their last evening of partying together, Jo and Raissa are magically transported to Nakali, the place they have been dreaming of going all of their lives.

What follows is like a mish-mash of The Hangover, The Wizard of Oz, and most crucially, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. The girls awaken to discover that they can’t remember the events of the previous night, but they have strange tattoos, Raissa’s hair is singed, and they have no way of getting back home. Forgotten Island boasts a ton of colorful characters who aid in their journey to recover the memories and return home. Dave Franco is terrific as Raww, a weredog with an attitude; Jenny Slate is Batiba, an agoraphobic memory-eating demon; Manny Jacinto is Bungi, a giant demon-baby who really loves his mother; and Kevin McCann as Prince Mermahn, a vain mermaid with singing starfish as nipples. Other characters voiced by Jo Koy, Ronny Chieng, and more add to this wonderfully vibrant tapestry.

Forgotten Island was clearly designed to be a film for all ages, and it works to its benefit. It leans pretty hard into horror aspects, especially with the film’s villain, Manang (Lea Salonga), a Slender Man-esque demon that looks like a Blumhouse creation. It can split its body in half to attack and kill its prey, and Manang has a pretty good reason to hunt down Jo and Raissa.

Another mature element is the story’s crucial turning point: to get home, Jo and Raissa must sacrifice all memories of their friendship. The girls discover that remembering everything comes at a cost, as well. Memories are treated as precious things in Forgotten Island, presented in the touching relationship between Jo, Raissa, and Lola. But they are also seen as things that must be nourished, built upon, and created anew. To stop creating new memories is to stop living. Our recollections can be fleeting things, vanishing in the blink of an eye if we fail to fully appreciate them.

Sony’s Spider-Verse movies have had a gigantic impact on the entire animation industry, with more films taking a similarly kinetic visual style. Forgotten Island does it better than most, with imagery that leaps off the screen and grabs you by the chest. You can see other influences, as well, particularly Japanese anime and even Kpop Demon Hunters.

In a sea of bland, flavorless animated movies, Forgotten Island is a breath of fresh air for highlighting Filipino culture. From the copious amounts of food (the lumpia looks good enough to eat!), to the mythology, to the score utilizing Filipino instruments, the cultural specificity is used to enhance the experience in every way.

Dreamworks Animation is on a roll right now, with The Wild Robot and Forgotten Island two of the best films it has ever produced. While Forgotten Island is busting at the seams there’s so much happening at any given moment, it’s also hilarious, beautifully animated, and just a joy to watch. Whether we ever see Jo and Raissa on the big screen again, this is a film that will surely be remembered when Oscar season comes around.

Forgotten Island opens in theaters on September 25th.

‘Masterplan’ Trailer: Stanley Tucci Plots To Steal The Mona Lisa In Prime Video’s Heist Film

Travis Hopson

September 23, 2026

It’s funny how actors take on the personalities of their most iconic characters. I never thought much about Stanley Tucci as particularly suave and debonair until he played Nigel in The Devil Wears Prada. Now, he’s a renaissance man who galavants across Italy on two separate TV shows. This version of Tucci is also front and center in the new Prime Video heist film, Masterplan, in which he’s part of a crew of thieves attempting to steal the Mona Lisa.

Masterplan is directed by Thomas Vincent (Reacher), who co-wrote the script with BAFTA-winning screenwriter David Wolstencroft. Joining Tucci in the cast are Simona Tabasco of HBO’s The White Lotus and Bardot actor Victor Belmondo.

SYNOPSIS: When a legendary thief sets his sights on the Mona Lisa, he recruits two young strangers to help him — Chiara, a sharp Italian cybercrime expert, and Jay, a swaggering French explosives specialist — before revealing they are long-lost siblings… and oh yes, by the way, he is their father. Thrown into a chaotic reunion they never asked for, this new family must learn to work together — and try not to kill each other — if they want any chance at pulling off the heist of the century.

Masterplan hits Prime Video on October 16th.

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